Betrayal
by Sharky42
Summary: She was guilty and he knew it. What should have been a simple talk to calm down a friend had turned into the one thing she never thought she'd do to a person she loved. Now it's up to him to forgive her, but will he? SxJ, slight AxJ. Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1

**This is what happens with lack of sleep and when you listen to songs like "Two black Cadillacs" all day. No, I'm not going to continue it. Yes, you can if you want to (just let me know).**

**Copyright Ross B. and Janice K.**

**EDIT: Ok, a couple people showed interest in this story, so I _may_ continue it. Just give me some time until I'm between semesters because I'm bogged down at the moment. I have an idea where I can take it, though.  
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Betrayal.

Deception.

Foolishness.

He didn't know. There was no way for him to know. The expression on his face, though; it was confused, questioning, and most importantly, full of apprehension. He could make assumptions right at that moment and she knew he would be correct. He was anything but brainless after all.

She was sure her urgency gave everything away. Normally she was at ease around him; he was her boyfriend after all. But now, she couldn't even give more than a quick glance towards him before she hurried out of the back yard in the direction of her home. The odd behavior would be more than enough to confirm what may be going through his mind at the moment.

She knew as brothers they confessed everything to each other…. Eventually, and Simon was a master at making his brothers confess what was going on.

The guilt was more than she could bear but she had placed herself in the situation after all.

If only she didn't let curiosity get to her. She _shouldn't_ have gone over there.

The sun was shining on a beautiful spring day. Her sisters were inside supposedly finishing up their homework and Jeanette took that moment to enjoy the seclusion by wandering outside in the backyard to read. Though, at the moment, her attention was averted to the neighbor clothed in red. He had come storming out of the house with a frustrated growl and slam of the door behind him. There were only two people in the world that seemed to be able to get to him that much: his middle brother or her older sister. The latter who he had a sporadic relationship with; and from the conversations in their room lately she knew, at the moment, they were definitely off again. Whoever it was had made him angry enough to now be climbing up into the old tree house in their backyard.

She wasn't going to get involved; it wasn't any of her business anyway. Whatever fight of the week was going on in the group always absolved itself by the weekend only to repeat the cycle by the middle of the following week. It was expected, all six of them were around each other at some point every single day. The top offenders of conflict being everyone else but her and Theodore. Very rarely did the two of them find themselves fighting with someone, which was perfectly fine with her as she disliked conflict.

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, and before she could think any further, she set her book down and headed next door. They were best friends after all and friends should always be there when you needed them. No matter how much one of them disapproved of the asinine arguments that always seemed to erupt within the group.

Reaching the top of the makeshift ladder and pulling herself into the shelter she spotted him sitting in the middle of the floor idly playing with a baseball in his hands. She could just make out the anger on his face and hesitated. Was he going to be angry with her for not leaving him alone and turn her away making her efforts useless?

"What do you want Jeanette?" He was agitated just like she thought he would be. Taking a deep breath she figured she might as well talk to him, he had spotted her anyway.

"Hello to you too, Alvin," she sighed as she made her way over and sat next to him, "I saw you storm out. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh."

Then silence. She knew he wasn't being shy. No, Alvin Seville was anything but shy. He had too big of a mouth to not go off about what was making him angry. He must be thinking of a way to announce what he had to say without completely offending her.

"Brittany is such a drama queen," so it was her that had done it, they must have been on the phone fighting again when she was supposed to be doing homework. _Typical_. "How do you deal with it?"

She was almost shocked; was he asking for advice? He never took advice, "Well, one way is to talk to her calmly about it."

"That's not what I meant," she saw him roll his eyes and shake his head at her.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Brittany walks all over you and Simon's a sarcastic asshole on a daily basis," he paused looking at her and she knew he was trying to read whether what he said offended her, "yet you don't let it bother you. How do you do that?"

How _did_ she do it? She wasn't exactly sure and she answered him with a shrug, "I guess I just have a higher tolerance to a person's quirks."

He just nodded his head and went silent for a moment before starting up casual chatter with her. All was going well, he had calmed down. She wasn't sure if she ever just talked with him like this before. Or at least not recently, there was one time when they were younger; but that was a few years ago. She finally decided that this must be a very rare side of him when he wasn't up to one of his schemes. If only he let it out more often than he wouldn't look so arrogant. Nevertheless she basked in the chance to talk to someone that wasn't a girl and that didn't talk about school, or science, or intelligent discussions all the time. There was something nice in just hanging out with someone talking about whatever topic popped into your mind without thought and being met with interest.

She took a moment to pause their conversation to peek out the small window nearby. The once bright blue sky was now filled with colors of yellow and orange indicating that the sun would soon disappear and leave them in the dark. She took that as an indication to head back home before someone came looking for her. Excusing herself she stood up dusting off her skirt and he stood with her, assumedly to head inside himself.

What happened next wasn't something she had expected. Maybe he didn't either. Maybe it was something that just happened and shouldn't have.

As she turned to leave the tree house he reached out and stopped her. She thought she heard him say a thank you but she wasn't sure. Right now she was concentrating more on the fact that he was standing just a little too close to her and hadn't let go of her arm quite yet.

After a few moments of awkward silence he finally spoke up again, "she's just like you."

She was bewildered; he couldn't be hinting at _that_. At some point in their conversation she joked about how he didn't have a type of girl he specifically goes for as evidence of past relationships, but he defended himself stating that he did have a type. It didn't matter how much she prodded, though, he wasn't going to tell her anything beyond that.

Standing there, they must have been delusional at the moment because it happened. In a split second she went from looking at him confused, her heart rapidly beating in her chest, to feeling his lips pressed against hers. It was at that moment that all reasonable judgment seemed to escape her. It must have, for if it hadn't she wouldn't have been kissing him back. They especially wouldn't have gotten as lost in that kiss as they did.

She felt his hands wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and she felt his tongue enter her mouth as she had no resistance to it. Getting lost in the feeling she ran her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck.

And then it hit her. _This isn't __Simon._

She snapped her eyes open and pushed him away. This _wasn't_ right. Her mind was in a frenzy and she had to get out of there _now._

"I-I got to go," she hastily mumbled not daring to look at him as she began descending the ladder as fast as her lack of grace would let her.

This was wrong. She was a horrible person. She should have ended it as soon as it started. She was the reasonable one, the one in a relationship that would now be in limbo.

It was all her fault.

As soon as her feet hit the soft ground she saw him standing there, the Seville brother she should have been kissing. No doubt he was coming outside to check on his brother and call him in for dinner. She couldn't talk to him at this moment, not while she was an emotional wreck from what had happened, and because the shame was steadily consuming her the more she stood there. Instead she quickly walked passed him, not even turning back around when he called out her name.

She was guilty and he knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, I have this entire story finished. I'm not sure if I'm happy with how it turned out (or their personalities), but I'll still post it for the, like, 2 people that wanted me to continue. lol. I just have to reread and fix up the chapters before I post them. So maybe one a week. There's 7 chapters.**

**Again, I don't own AATC.  
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Awkward and uncomfortable. Those were the two words that could define exactly what the dinner table had been. Alvin's normally boisterous personality was reduced to silence and even his own jabs at said brother were not to be heard that night. No, instead the two of them received inquiring glances from their brother, Theodore, and their adoptive father, Dave, as the room was swallowed in complete and utter silence; something unheard of in the Seville household.

After dinner and chores he had escaped to the bathroom while his brothers occupied their shared room. He needed privacy and the only semi-private place in the house was the bathroom. Though even that room wasn't completely safe as they all had a tendency to rendezvous in the room with each other from time to time while getting ready. At this moment, however, he was alone with his thoughts as he washed away the day's dirt. But those thoughts were overwhelming as he leaned back against the cool shower wall furiously wiping at the couple of stray tears that escaped the confines he so desperately tried to keep them in.

After a little prodding Alvin had finally confirmed his fears as to why Jeanette ran out of their yard without bothering to even greet him. That moment of confirmation made it seem as if the entire world had come crashing down on him and he felt a mixed amount of emotions inside him. One stood out the most from the rest, though; anger. That's what he poured out on his brother before they were interrupted by a questioning Theodore and told to come inside for dinner.

He was furious with both of them at the time. He didn't even bother to call her no matter that his conscious told him otherwise. The one person he relished speaking with every day he couldn't even bear to hear at the moment.

But now, inside the shower lost in his thoughts, he was broken inside.

He still loved her but didn't know if it was worth the lost trust. The conflict was tearing him apart. His mind shouted at him that this was the end of their relationship, but that pesky heart, the one that was all hers, told him there must be some sort of misunderstanding. She never acted like this.

He couldn't help but wonder if she was regretting what had happened and if it was causing her as much turmoil that it seemed to be causing him. Part of him even hoped that she was suffering even just a little.

He shook his head at his vengeful thoughts as he turned the water off. This wasn't like _him_.

After drying off, dressing, and walking down the hallway he found himself pausing with his hand above the doorknob to the closed door. Something inside him was anxious and he hesitated, but he finally shook it off before grabbing the knob.

As he entered the bedroom a sudden tension followed him. Two sets of eyes burned into his back as he rummaged around on his bookshelf and pulled out a random book trying to avoid the inevitable. But as he sat down on his bed and propped the book open only for show, he couldn't help but feel the annoyance build as no one spoke and no one stopped staring at him.

"Would you stop staring at me?" He finally spat out.

"Oh, sorry."

"You're fine Theodore," he hadn't meant to offend his kind hearted brother, he wasn't the one that had done anything wrong anyway, "I'm talking to _your_ brother."

"Would you get over it, Simon?" He watched as Alvin turned from putting on his pajamas to confront him. Always the confrontational one. They had their fight outside earlier and Alvin had shouted back that it had been his fault. While what Alvin told him was intended to make him feel better about the situation they found themselves in, it had done just the opposite, it made the anger he felt even stronger.

"Get over it?" Unlike Theodore, he wasn't intimidated by his brother and he stood up to challenge him, starting another fight, "get over my brother being so disloyal to his own sibling?"

"It's not that big of a deal."

"I think it is a big deal."

"Guys!" Theodore sat on his bed obviously agitated by their bickering, just like other days when they fought, "what's going on?"

"What's going on, Theodore, dear brother," Simon spoke nonchalantly addressing his brother's question," is that you should keep Eleanor away from Alvin."

He caught a glimpse of Alvin throwing his hands in the air out of frustration, most likely out of not getting the reaction he wanted, "this is ridiculous."

Of course it was ridiculous, the entire situation had become a ridiculous play of events that shouldn't have happened, "I'm thinking the same thing."

"And I'm thinking if you weren't so uptight it wouldn't have happened in the first place."

He couldn't help but feel the anger build inside him as he saw Alvin's smug look trying to turn the blame for everything on him. The mere thought that his brother was implying he was a terrible boyfriend was unfathomable. If Alvin had been searching for a reaction, he got one, and it was completely uncharacteristic of his reserved nature. His anger finally reached its peak and he couldn't stop himself as he felt his fist connect with his brother's face.

"Simon!" Theodore's scolded as he ran to aid Alvin, whose nose was now bleeding profusely down his face and staining his shirt.

It was a circus after that, returning the house back to some normalcy for it. There was a multitude of curse words followed by Dave seeing all too clear what the commotion was about when he came to investigate. And what seemed like a million tissues later they found themselves sitting on the couch in the den. Alvin with tissue up his nose and holding an ice pack to his face after they figured out his nose wasn't broken.

While part of him felt satisfied that his brother was getting a taste of his own medicine, another part felt guilty and scared as his father stood angrily in front of them. How the man could still make them feel like scared little children he didn't know, but he wished he could learn the secret.

"What's gotten into you Simon? This isn't like you," Dave gestured towards Alvin.

"He deserved it, Dave." Did he just say that? _Stupid excuse_. But he still showed a look of defiance as he wasn't going to get in trouble for this one.

"I ought to show you who deserves it," Alvin threatened with his head lying back on the couch back. It was just an empty threat and Simon couldn't help but smirk at how pathetic his brother was being.

"Alvin, please," Dave's irritation showing on his face, "what's going on, Simon?"

"I don't know if I really want to talk about it," he replied with a shrug. He didn't want to talk about it, it was something you _don't_ tell your parents. Besides, he was somehow still trying to protect_ her_ from unnecessary judgment at the moment. So while his father stood with an angry stance in front of him, he decided to keep his silence.

"Fine." His father had given up after a minute of waiting for him to crack and turned his attention to the other boy, "Alvin?"

For whatever reason, most likely pride, Alvin didn't speak up either. This made their father finally sigh in frustration and defeat.

"Okay fellas, if you're not going to tell me what's going on then you'll be doing some extra chores around here for the next month. Together."

They both groaned, or more like he groaned and Alvin attempted to. Dave had long ago learned that if his boys were fighting with each other the best punishment was forcing them to work together doing chores. He hated the punishment, and he was sure Alvin hated it worse than him. There was nothing in this moment that would ever make him want to work with his brother. Well, maybe nothing but an angry father that still scared them when he was that way as he was normally a very patient and kind man.


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy! I'm determined to update my other story before updating this one again. And a big thanks to alvinsincredible, alvinnascar5, SIMON270, and the guest that reviewed last chapter.  
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_Great_. It was the one thought that went through her head multiple times today as she mentally cursed herself for being put in this awkward spot. She had spent every day of her life meticulously watching her actions and words to avoid conflict as much as possible for if there was one thing she hated the most in this world it was being in the center of conflict. Though, this time, she had made sure to foolishly get herself buried deep within this brawl, and it was a big one. One that had ripped away the trust in her from the one she loved. She wanted to speak with him to try to make everything right but her vain attempts had gone unheeded as he would walk on by not noticing her. Nothing made her heart ache more than watching as her boyfriend acted like she was just empty space in the hallway and she found herself wishing this whole stupid ordeal had never happened.

She felt herself sullen at the thought that, maybe, she shouldn't have even bothered to try to play damage control. It wasn't something she normally did and it came around to stab her in the back for even trying.

And him, she stole a glance at Alvin across from her at the lunch table. She would have thought that he wasn't bothered by this at all if it wasn't for the fact that he was being very brief with her when normally no one could get him to shut up when he would engage them in conversation. Then there was the fact that the two feuding brothers would normally be bickering in jest back and forth at the lunch table, the same lunch table that was silent at the moment as the three siblings not involved passed puzzled glances amongst themselves.

For now the two brothers and she sat in silence and it was almost unbearable for her. She figured she got off almost too easy as she expected to be yelled at, called names, anything but the silence she was receiving. It was driving her insane but she feared speaking up to either of them and that ensured she remained quiet. Those two, though, they were the worst two of the three brothers to betray as they were the ones with the biggest mouths. She was sure, however, that Simon's refined nature was what was keeping him from spilling the details to their siblings, but she wasn't exactly sure why Alvin said nothing. Maybe because his pride couldn't take the humility of the situation.

"Can someone just _please_ tell us what's going on?" Brittany shouted, obviously the tension had become too much for her. All morning she had been trying to dig the truth out of them but was disappointed repeatedly as none of them said a thing, pretending that there was nothing going on at all. Except they weren't doing a good enough job at hiding it and the obvious discoloration on Alvin's face was proof that someone had lost their temper.

"I can tell you what's going on," Simon spoke up from the other end of the table and she felt alarm at what he might say, "my brother is a complete jerk."

What had been avoided all morning was inevitably going to happen sometime later as aggression built between them. She noted the guilt rising inside her as she felt responsible for being the one that came in-between the bond the two brothers had with each other.

"Jerk? At least I'm not acting like an uptight baby."

"Are you really that dense? Do you not understand what happened? Why I'm angry?"

"Guys!" The argument momentarily halted as everyone turned their attention to Theodore. The poor boy was stuck between the two arguing brothers and his expression showed that he probably listened to them for far longer than today, "would you stop fighting for a second. What's going on Simon?"

It was normally a simple question, but for them it was a struggle to answer and a long pause passed before someone finally spoke up.

"That's something you should be asking Alvin and Jeanette, Theodore," Simon answered with a smug look.

Almost instantly all eyes were on the pair burning into them looking for an explanation.

"Absolutely nothing," she was thankful when Alvin spoke first as she wasn't sure she could get any words out without spilling everything and she was positive that this wasn't the place or time to confess.

"Nothing?" Simon spoke up with anger, "my own brother and girlfriend were kissing and that's nothing?"

Instantly she felt the entire world fall down on her as a look of shock was shared by the others before all eyes settled on her. She was always uncomfortable when attention was placed solely on her, enjoying the background more than the acknowledgement, but at this moment just that was happening and it wasn't in a positive way. She attempted to hide from it, hide her shame, by covering her face with her hands and willing it away, but she knew her attempts would be no good. You can't disappear no matter how hard you try; but she definitely did try.

"What is wrong with you?" Brittany's voice cut through the initial shock at the table and Jeanette could feel the dread inside drowning her, a feeling she never wanted to experience again. "How could you do this to me? You're so selfish Jeanette."

"I'm selfish? You should be one to talk," the words were out before she could stop them as she uncovered her face, becoming vulnerable. The pressure she was feeling from all the looks of judgment made her shift uneasily and she found she was acting out of impulse. She was being singled out not only because they thought she was incapable of a lapse in judgment but because she was supposedly in a stable relationship without flaws. She knew everyone was asking themselves the same question about that stability in their relationship if she could do something like this.

"Don't try turning this around on me. You're the one kissing my boyfriend."

"Last I checked we were broken up," came from across the table but no one was worried about Alvin at the moment; they were too focused on her.

"No one's talking to you. This _is_ something you would do," Brittany addressed Alvin before turning back on her and saying something that really tore her up inside, "But you, Jeanette, how could you be such a terrible sister?"

"More like terrible girlfriend," Eleanor mumbled, "how could you do this to Simon?"

Simon had been silent through all this and she chanced a quick glance in his direction only to see something she wasn't expecting; he looked back at her with what seemed regret and sorrow.

"This isn't fair to him."

Eleanor was right. It wasn't fair to him, she knew that, and she found herself wanting to answer for her actions but instead she was made mute by a lump that was caught in her throat, choking her and she held back the tears that threatened to come out. She never cried over harsh treatment or being bullied and she wasn't about to start now, no matter if they were family.

Instead she tore herself away from the table with faux anger determined to not let them see the tears that had now secretly escaped their confines as she walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, new update. I'm not sure if I want to edit all the chapters and post them for this story, or continue updating one of these, then one for my other story before this one again. Though my other story I haven't really started the other chapter yet and I have a big research paper to write so it may be a long while if I try to update that one first before this one again (since this is already written I just have to reread and edit the chapters). So you tell me.  
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**I'm a little iffy with this chapter, I edited it like crazy and I'm not sure if it was too much. Oh well. I do have to say, action stories are much more fun to write than love triangles. lol  
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**Copyright Ross B and Janice K.**

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He was frustrated with everything that had been going on around him lately. At lunch he fully expected everyone to turn on him after Simon had opened his big mouth, but they hadn't and it made him wonder what it was about his character that they thought so little of him. Most importantly, he had felt guilty when they ganged up on Jeanette to the point they had made her run off and avoid everyone for the rest of the day. Her ignoring him seemed to hit him the hardest too. She would be the only one out of the entire group that would easily forgive, so when he shot down her happiness he knew there would be almost no chance of reconciling with everyone else if he didn't get her forgiveness first.

That was his goal. He had to talk to her and gain her trust again. The only obstacle standing in the way was convincing her to talk to him; after he found her.

But luck must have been on his side at that moment for as soon as he started up his car and rolled out of the school's parking lot he spotted a lone figure walking down the sidewalk. He rolled his eyes knowing the reason that she was walking towards home, alone, was because Brittany had refused to let her in the car. The same car that was all three of theirs once they got their license, but unfortunately for Jeanette, Brittany seemed to have the run of it.

Taking the opportunity laid out in front of him he jerked his car to the shoulder and rolled the passenger window down to talk to her, "you need a ride."

She paused mid-stride, thinking, before shaking her head, "no, that's okay."

He growled inwardly as she began walking away, he wasn't going to give up, not when they desperately needed to talk. Pulling the car up a bit he caught up to her retreating form, "I wasn't asking. You simply need a ride." He leaned across the car and opened the passenger side door for her, "hop in."

He watched her hesitate before finally sighing in defeat when he did not leave and climb in the car, throwing her bookbag in the back in the process. The whole display reminding him slightly of Simon and how oddly similar the two geniuses in the group could be at times even though their personalities weren't quite alike.

"So, where are we going?" He saw her settle back into the seat as he looped the car around. She was too smart not to notice they weren't headed towards home.

"I figured since we didn't eat lunch today I'd go buy us some pizza." With all the fighting that went on at lunch neither of them had touched their food before they left (him right after her) and he could feel his stomach protesting. "Besides, me and you need to have a chat," he gestured as he sped down the street towards the pizza parlor in town.

When they arrived at their destination they had grabbed their drinks and went to a corner booth far away from the other patrons inside, and as he walked back to the table with the two plates of food he had to stop. In front of him sat Jeanette, head resting in one hand while the other stirred her drink with the straw that was propped in it, unaware of him staring.

He finally shook himself out of it and set one of the plates down in front of her as he took his seat. The smile she gave him as he did so was genuine and made him falter. That one smile a clear indication of just exactly why his brother had fallen in love with her; not only did she challenge him intellectually, but she was full of compassion, understanding, and beauty.

"You and Simon never fight, do you?" He asked breaking out of his admiration after noticing the questioning look she was giving him, "well, not that it matters, I kind of ruined that didn't I? I do so much stuff out of impulse."

"That's okay, that's just who you are," he could see in her eyes that she understood him, but she wasn't hiding her unease of the situation from him as well as she probably would have liked.

That's when he knew he needed to rectify what was going on. He couldn't betray his brother, no matter how much they fought at times Simon would always be his confidant and he knew his brother still loved her, even if he didn't show it at the moment. He couldn't be the force that broke them apart or he'd risk losing his brothers and his friends. He had to tell her the white lie in his head and just hope he didn't regret it later.

"Look, Jeanette, you know I like you as just a friend, right? You're one of those girls that someone dates last and spends the rest of their life with. And, I mean…" He halted his rambling seeing her intense gaze on him and he searched for something else to say to her, "would you want to spend every day for the rest of your life with me? I can be pretty obnoxious." The joking was a cover up, and he knew she fell for it by the smile on her face.

"You're definitely right there," her laugh and body language indicated that what he said eased the tension slightly. She was always one to easily forgive and forget.

"So are we cool?"

"Sure Alvin," she spoke nonchalantly and waved him off, an indication that he didn't need to worry anymore.

"Though I do have to say," he began as this situation needed some humor added to it for his own sake. He shot her a devilish smirk and the look of horror on her face indicated she had an idea of just what he was going to say, "I'm not sure how Simon controls himself with the way you kiss."

"Oh my God," her face turned a deep shade of red as she tried to hide behind her hands, "and you were doing so well.

She could be a hard girl to embarrass at times but he knew exactly how to get to her. A cover up for what he was really feeling, but something that was remotely him and one he used often to get at those in his life. This time, however, he was using it to hide himself within his thoughts.

"Oh please Jeanette, don't be such a goody-goody, you're the one going around kissing other guys."

"Can you just stop?" She pled with him, her face even redder than it was before.

"Sure, I wouldn't want your head to explode," he leaned back and grabbed his drink from the table. "In all seriousness, why would you kiss me back anyway?"

He watched as she rolled her eyes and groaned, obviously over the embarrassment she was enduring, "because I'm an idiot," she stated, but he knew that wasn't the reason why and stared at her interested in the real answer, maybe even a little hopeful. Finally giving in she sighed, "Simon's not very impulsive or affectionate that often, I guess I just got lost in the moment."

"True. That he isn't," he agreed with her bringing their conversation to an awkward standstill. He sat back drinking his soda and looking around the pizza parlor for a moment before forcing more conversation, "so what's happening with you and Simon anyway?"

He knew the answer, he always knew the answer from the beginning. While others were perplexed by what may be going through Simon's head and what he was feeling, they were brothers and he knew at this moment his brother's head and heart were at war with each other no matter how calm he seemed outside. This conflict meant that he would be giving the silent treatment to both of them until he decided which would win.

"I'm not sure, he hasn't talked to me since then. And to be honest, I get the message, I think we're through in the end," the distressed look she gave was like a slap to his face and he couldn't help but feel horrible for being the cause.

"No way!" He wasn't necessarily shocked but he knew he had to at least try to fix what he broke, "you two were meant for each other. No one else knows what the hell he's talking about half the time anyway besides you." He watched as she fiddled with her drink again nodding her head not believing what he said.

If there was one thing he was known for, that was his willingness to fight for the ones he loved. He was going to fix it or try the hardest he could. Where he would start, he wasn't too sure, but maybe a push in the right direction was something they both needed.

In the end, if they didn't work through this then maybe it was meant to be and he could have his chance. But for now, it wasn't his turn.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, I _wasn't_ going to update this today, or this week, but I'm a little ahead of homework ATM now, so I wanted to work on it. Sorry if any parts are confusing, I'm half asleep and forced myself to stay awake to edit and post this. XD  
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**Thank you all for the reviews also. I'd post your names but I want to get this up before I fall asleep. Don't expect another update until after Tuesday, though.**

**Copyright: not me, again.**

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Simon couldn't help but have the event from that afternoon run through his mind on an endless loop and the more he thought about it the harder he found it was not to flinch. Maybe he shouldn't have let his anger consume him and just left their problem to be worked out in private. It would have been the best course of action as no one else needed to know the details. But, no, he wanted to see them be punished and had opened his big mouth. Though, when he had, he expected everyone to be shocked and slightly angry, but what he didn't expect was them turning their accusing glares directly onto her while ignoring Alvin completely.

Then when she ran off it took everything inside him not to run after her and comfort her as the lone tear he spotted in her retreat stabbed him in the heart. He had to remind himself why he was angry with her to begin with, but he felt that he was just failing miserably.

That's when the question came to his mind; was he really angry or was he more annoyed that his brother was ruining something else of his? Except this time it wasn't a project that could be redone, this time it was more to him and it may be too damaged to fix. But giving it all up he wasn't sure was something he wanted to do, not when he felt like he spent his entire life waiting for her. He just hoped she didn't want to give up either, not after his bitterness had cut her off from everyone.

He leaned back into the couch with a miserable sigh, this was the problem with being alone with nothing to do; there was too much time to think things through. To realize how much of a jerk he was being even if the other party was more at fault according to others. To decide he didn't have to stoop to the level he had and that not everything done is with malicious intent.

Theodore had been the beginning of him constantly dwelling on the week's events, which surprised him. He, along with everyone else, always underestimated the shorter, quiet brother and his ability to analyze the world around him.

_They had just entered through the front door and were in the process of throwing their bags down when Theodore had spoken up._

"_You're not really mad at them, are you?" Theodore's green eyes met his as he turned his way._

"_Of course I'm mad, what else would I be?" But the answer didn't seem right._

"_Jealous," he watched as Theodore leaned against the banister while they continued to talk in the foyer, "hurt, annoyed, mostly confused."_

"_And why would I be confused?"_

"_Because you love her," Simon found himself taking a step back as Theodore took a step forward pointing a finger accusingly at him, it was terrifying when his normally timid brother found his voice, "and you don't want to break up with her because of it, but you always over-think everything instead of listening to your heart."_

_There was a slight pause before Theodore turned with a frustrated sigh and began ascending the staircase. No doubt to head to their room to call Eleanor, something that became an almost daily ritual between the two._

"_You don't always have to do what's supposedly considered normal in situations like this," Simon watched in interest as his brother stopped to think before continuing on his journey upstairs, "besides, everyone has flaws. Including you."_

He had been a little unsure at first, but after giving Theodore's words some thought he realized just how correct he was. They weren't perfect. She didn't need to be perfect for him and sometimes a person needed to be given a second chance.

Someone banging on the front door tore him out of his thoughts that he spent far too long in and he was slightly thankful for the interruption. Hopping off the couch and opening up the front door his excitement fell when he saw who it was.

"Have you seen Jeanette?" Brittany's voice came out uncaring as soon as he was in her sight.

"No, I haven't. Why?" He stepped outside to join the girls, he needed to get out of the quiet house anyhow.

"Brittany left her to walk home," Eleanor told him sending a glare at her, "and she hasn't come home yet. Miss Miller's throwing a fit."

Even though the trek home would take about an hour, Jeanette should have made it home a couple hours ago as indicated by the setting sun in the horizon. Unsure of where she could be he began to search his brain for a reasonable answer as to why she'd be so late showing up and he shuddered at the thought of her being vulnerable to any crazed person out there.

Then it hit him, "Alvin hasn't been home, yet, either," he hoped this was the case, no matter how much he hated to think of what they'd be doing, it was still better than one of the other dreaded thoughts going through his mind, "maybe she's with him."

"I hope for Brittany's sake she is," there was a hint of worry in Eleanor's voice as she was always the one to take care of her sisters and take on the motherly role when they lived alone.

"Whatever, she deserved it."

"Can you stop for a moment? She hasn't come home, who knows what happened and _you_ broke up with Alvin so she didn't do anything wrong…" Eleanor suddenly stopped in her fight with Brittany and looked at him with pity, "I'm sorry Simon, we shouldn't be fighting about this in front of you."

"No, it's okay," he waved her off, he didn't want her pity, or anyone's for that matter. It made him uncomfortable and he had dealt with it all that afternoon after lunch.

"You broke up with her, right? You shouldn't let someone treat you like that," he couldn't help but roll his eyes at what Brittany said.

"No, and I'm not sure I want to," he wasn't too sure that this _did_ warrant a breakup anymore. There were no rule books on dating and love no matter how much someone tried to understand it.

"How could you not be sure?"

"You know this is our sister you're talking about, right?" Eleanor spoke up clearly becoming annoyed with the girl.

"Because," he almost yelled that word as he tried to stop a fight he would have to listen to otherwise, and he wondered if this awkward feeling was something they all felt when he was fighting with Alvin, "if two people always broke up with each mistake then there's no hope falling in love in the first place and we simply shouldn't do it."

They both stared at him for a while. Eleanor seemed to be gushing at his words while he noted the funny look that Brittany was giving him, and behind the rough exterior he saw an almost fleeting moment of realization in her eyes. Was she taking his words to heart?

"That's so pathetic." _Guess she wasn't,_ he thought after her outburst.

"Don't be rude, Brittany."

"Whatever Eleanor, I'm going home. Jeanette's a big girl, I'm sure she's fine," with that Brittany turned and headed out of the yard.

They watched in silence as Brittany walked to the house next door, up the porch, and entered the front door. He could only shake his head, she was always an antagonist. Why she should change now, he didn't know.

"Has she always been this miserable?" He gave a grin to Eleanor and saw the look or disapproval on her face.

"Only on her good days," she uttered with exhaustion before turning serious, "Simon, I know what happened may hurt, but only you can choose what you want to do, don't let someone else bully you otherwise."

Her words sounded familiar. He was sure time and a long chat with a certain green-clad brother of his had changed her point of view on the situation.

His mind almost began to wander again as they stood in silence for a moment before the sound of a car approaching caught their attention. They watched as the driver pulled up and parked in front of the house they were standing outside of. A rush of relief came over him as Jeanette stepped out of the passenger side of the car onto the sidewalk.

"Jeanette! I'm so glad you're okay," Eleanor ran excitedly to her sister and hugged her tight; no doubt relieved that nothing serious happened to her.

Simon's feelings, though, went from relief to accusing as Alvin walked up from the other side of the car, "and what were you two doing?"

"Relax, Simon, we went to the pizza parlor to talk."

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

"Uh, yea, because it's true." Alvin talked back at him like he was a fool.

The frustration towards Alvin was only building as the two stared each other down, "you're so deliberately obtuse."

"See Jeanette, no clue what he just said," was the only reply Alvin shouted towards the two retreating girls as a finger was pointed towards his direction.

That wasn't what had him storming back towards the house, irritated. What had done it was the slight laughter he heard come from her in reply to Alvin's inside joke.

Theodore had been right, he was jealous and confused as he felt she may be slipping through his fingers and right into Alvin's grasp. He just hoped he was wrong in the end.


	6. Chapter 6

This was not how Alvin wanted to spend his Saturday, not on a gorgeous day like today. He could be outside playing basketball or driving to the beach to hang out with his friends. Instead he was stuck inside cleaning up the garage all because of his brother had lost control of himself. Though he couldn't help but laugh at that thought. Simon wasn't a stranger to becoming angry or frustrated with the things he did, it wasn't even the first time that they had gotten into a physical altercation either, but it was the first time he found himself not fighting his brother back.

Alvin couldn't deny it, he felt guilt over _who_ the fight was about and faltered when he was punched. Somehow, someway he had known it was all his fault and he couldn't find it in him to get angry and fight back.

Still, it wasn't fair that he was stuck inside cleaning when he was the one that was injured and didn't fight back.

Frustrated, he shoved another piece of trash into the garbage bag he was holding. Standing near the middle of the garage he looked around and saw Simon digging through a box in the back corner. Where Alvin stood was the only spot that seemed to be cleared; the garage was, without doubt, trashed. He groaned audibly as he continued picking up bits and pieces of trash with one hand and putting it in the bag in his other hand. _This place is going to take all weekend to clean_, he thought as he picked up what looked like it used to be a piece of paper covered completely in a tar like substance.

"Gross, when's the last time this place was cleaned?" He could feel his stomach becoming queasy as he struggled to get the piece of garbage off his fingers. His plan to stay clean during this wasn't going to happen.

"I believe we were eight," Simon dully spoke up from the corner as he sorted through boxes of junk.

"You might want to be careful over there," Alvin directed towards his brother remembering the last time the three of them cleaned the place, "I think Theodore got lost back there last time."

"I remember that," Alvin was surprised to hear a chuckle come from the corner and a reply, something he didn't think was going to happen for a long while. He was almost unsure of how to take his brother's knowledge of him. It was different from the rest of the week where they either fought or completely ignored each other.

"Are you… actually talking to me?" He put in a pause for emphasis but a smirk was beginning to form on his face. He was curious if this was just a fluke or if his brother may have actually started to cool down.

"No. I'm just merely reminiscing."

"No, I think you're wrong," he walked over to his brother, hurdling a few boxes and objects along the way. Wrapping an arm around Simon's shoulders for emphasis," I think you may actually be talking to me again." But whatever communication happened was short-lived as Simon peeled the arm from around him, glaring at him for a split second before going back to what he was doing. He almost felt offended by the action, "fine be stubborn."

They began working again in silence for nearly an hour. All the while his mind yelled at him to say something, anything to make it better and explain what was discussed at the pizza parlor the other day, but he couldn't. Every time he went to say something he couldn't find his voice so he decided, for the time being, that he wouldn't say anything.

Until he decided he was thirsty and grabbed two glasses of water from inside before walking over to Simon offering him the second one. As his brother grabbed the glass and muttered a 'thank you' he decided to try again. Sitting on the floor next to Simon he also began digging through the box of random items to sort though and he brought it up like a casual conversation.

"You know Jeanette and I were just talking the other day," Simon's working slowed and then stopped. Alvin smiled knowing he had Simon's attention now, "it was all a mistake, it meant nothing and we moved on, you need to also," but Simon just huffed at him and began digging through the box in silence again.

He knew his brother, though, and what he did or said wasn't what he was always thinking. Growing up he'd act mature but inside he was just as much a rebel as himself. He'd state that he didn't need approval, but then he'd look for praise or a way to distinguish himself from what he normally did. And now, he was acting angry, but inside he really wasn't. He was upset, but he still was in love and wanted to tell her that. He knew this because numerous times this week he watched as Simon would pretend to be reading a book but what no one else noticed was that he'd stare at the same page for a long while before finally turning a page. The only time he was like that was when he was really contemplating something.

"She doesn't love me anyway," he tried to open up his brother, "besides, I don't think I would have a chance competing against you for her."

"How are you so sure?" He finally got him talking again.

"Because she doesn't shut up about you, it's sort of disgusting," he remembered them talking and how many times she brought up Simon in the conversation before catching herself and feeling terrible, "though she's devastated that this broke you up."

"Last I remember we never actually broke up," Simon replied, "why does everyone keep bringing it up?"

He finally had Simon caught on his hook, now he just had to reel him in. If things went really well maybe he'd finally talk to her and all the moping would finally go away. It was starting to get Theodore down even. Besides, their group wasn't complete all week without the two smart ones in it to explain to them why they were all acting ridiculous; Simon with his sarcastic remarks and Jeanette with her patience.

"That's not the message you've been sending her," Alvin hoped to get through to him but he fell into silence again, most likely to think about what was just said. Sighing, he sat back before saying something he rarely said, "look, I'm sorry, I don't even know what came over me."

"You're too damn impulsive."

He couldn't help but laugh at Simon's statement, his brother knew him too well, "will you ever forgive me?"

"Fine," Simon sighed out as he finally stopped digging in the box to look at Alvin, "but you're on probation."

"Probation? Nearly breaking my nose wasn't good enough?" He stuck out his bottom lip, pouting, before pointing at said body part.

"I could really break it next time if you'd like," Alvin almost felt pride in Simon, he was finally rubbing off on him after all these years.

"Probation it is," he decided if Simon was really getting like him he didn't want to chance a broken nose. Besides, with all his knowledge he probably knew exactly where to hit him with little force to actually break it. "By the way, it still hurts you know."

He could hear Simon laugh at his pain and it felt good knowing that they'd started to fix what he had torn apart. If only partially.

* * *

**I don't really like the end of this chapter... But I'm trying to push this chapter and the last one out today because work has me traveling to FL and then GA tomorrow, so that's at least 3-4 days of driving, and once there I won't be able to update for about 3 weeks. So, unfortunately, I didn't get to edit it as much as I would like. Plus, this one is just kind of a filler/work things out quickly chapter (or whatever it's called)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday night and she was stuck at home; her sisters long since went out with some friends to the bowling alley. Well, being stuck wasn't particularly anyone's fault but her own, she denied the offer to join them not feeling in the mood to enjoy herself. Not when she was coming to terms with what happened earlier that week and the end of a long awaited relationship. But most of all, the end of a very long friendship. She didn't know how he'd ever trust her again and that hurt the most.

So here she sat on the steps of the porch on this warm spring night. Even though it wasn't that late she was already in her grey pajama pants, dark blue t-shirt, and hair down just slightly damp from having showered. Her head was leaned back against the railing and eyes closed as she thought about everything that had transpired.

That day she had talked with Alvin she had deceived him when he asked her why she would kiss him back. The more time she had to run through that occurrence in the tree house the more she realized that it hadn't exactly been a complete mistake and when she came to terms with that the more she cursed the girl she promised she'd never become.

The truth had been that she was vulnerable that day. Prone to her feelings because she had been in a constant state of quarreling with the boy she loved. Last summer, when Simon and her begun their relationship nothing else in the world seemed to matter and they seemed made for each other. Then, the past couple months, the flame had been extinguished and every moment that they used to enjoy together was replaced with a complicated situation. Some days they savored the moment together but more often they ended up bickering about some miniscule thing that was said or done.

That day, they had been joking and soaking in the moment as they walked down the mostly empty hallways readying themselves to head home. She was up in the clouds until an innocent comment she had made brought her back down to Earth and the moment turned sour. Another dumb disagreement that ended with him in a bitter mood and her feeling insecure.

When she wandered into their backyard she wasn't looking to bring their fights out into the light as they insured to hide them from family, but she had a suspicion that Alvin had figured out what was going on. Though he never was straight forward with it he always dropped very subtle hints that anyone else would have missed. His constant comments asking her how she could put up with his dry sarcasm or wondering if they ever fought. It was his roundabout way of trying to get her to confess they weren't in as perfect of a relationship as the entire world thought.

But she never spilled.

She secretly wanted them to be jealous, just as she was jealous of Alvin's supposed devotion to Brittany. They fought because of Brittany's temper after he gloated in jest with her, but she knew Alvin loved getting a reaction out of Brittany as a way of flirting. No matter how many times her sister seemed to break his heart he was always there to take her back; except this last time it seemed almost as if something may have drastically changed between the two. While she was certain she'd never get the full answer, she wasn't sure she wanted to be that reason why his love began to stray.

Her heart broke further with the thought of love beginning to stray. Was that where she was? She felt like it at times lately when they were together and she had to walk on eggshells. The constant rollercoaster had been troubling to her emotions and she found herself having to put on a fake smile as she spoke about their time together to her sisters. But it was that time together that was the problem because anytime they were apart it was almost like they couldn't stand it.

She found herself almost laughing at the irony as she began to choke up. She would just have to learn to live with missing him.

"Why are you all alone tonight?" She didn't open her eyes afraid of what may come of it.

His spirits were oddly high tonight considering how the rest of the week had played out. He almost felt like skipping down the stairs as he grabbed his keys and exited the front door towards his car. He was on his way to the mall to hang out with his brothers; even though they had fought this week they had mostly made up, and no matter what he acted like or how hard he tried he could never hold a grudge with either of them, no matter what the crime had been.

And then he spotted her sitting on the stairs to the front porch of her home. She looked at peace and he, for a second, thought she may have fell asleep, but he knew her better. He knew she was lost in thought, no doubt probably about that week.

Feeling his spirits lower he pulled the keys out of the lock and pocketed them. At this moment he slightly wished that glancing next door hadn't become a habit after all these years but he was glad that she was there and alone. He had to talk to her, he had done a good job of ignoring her all week and things would never be fully settled if he kept it up.

As he approached her he couldn't help but feel nervous. Doubt filled his mind and he mentally kicked himself for the way he had been treating her lately as he studied her face and noticed how troubled she looked. He had been a lousy boyfriend to her. Not just the past week, but the past months and he couldn't fault her if she felt unloved.

He was frozen with fear where he stood and he made multiple attempts to say something but nothing came out. Part of him was hoping she'd open her eyes and talk to him first, but it didn't happen.

Figuring he was going to have to initiate the conversation eventually he spoke what was on his mind first with slightly shaky speech, "why are you all alone tonight?"

At first he didn't think she would respond, but then she answered with a sighful, "thinking," opening her eyes to finally look at him, "what are you doing here? I thought you had no use for me now."

He sat down next to her on the stairs feeling a little defeated, "I don't detest you, Jeanette."

"Funny, I didn't know airing out our dirty laundry for everyone to know meant you didn't," she stared at him with a mixture of hurt and anger and he didn't fault her. Her sisters were everything to her and the fact he maliciously made them angry with her over something that shouldn't have been their business was his fault.

"Could you blame me for being angry?" He stared back at her.

"No, I guess not," her expression softened and after a few seconds turned to one of distress, "I'm sorry, I've really screwed us up."

"If you really did anything it was showing me just how mortal we are," he wanted nothing more to do at this moment than grab her up in a hug and tell her she hadn't been the only one at fault. He had been pushing her away afraid of how serious they were getting in their relationship and all he had accomplished was inadvertently hurting them both.

"You know you don't have to stick around. I'm the one that messed up, I should be finding you and apologizing," he was pulled from his thoughts as she spoke up.

"Please don't," he deadpanned. He didn't want apologies, it had been a frustrating week as it was and he just wanted to move beyond it.

But moving beyond was in their hands now and he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to make that possible, but he was going to try. Even if it meant sitting in uncomfortable silence all night with her.

After staring out at the road for centuries without a thought he finally heard a frustrated sigh from her, "why are you really here, Simon?"

Why was he really here if he wasn't already making amends? He had decided a couple days ago that he didn't care and that he just wanted to forget anything had happened. He had fallen for her and any fears he was having about their relationship were just foolish because he didn't want to lose her.

But why hadn't he told her that yet?

Choosing his words carefully before he spoke he knew this was the moment, "I know what happened and I don't know why but I'm not really in a mood to care," and his words were true, he didn't want to hear any more excuses and he was finished with ignoring each other. He wanted her back and he hesitantly reached a hand out to grab hers, "all I care about is the day I told you I love you, I meant it and nothing will change that."

"You really shouldn't do this," he almost protested when she pulled her hand out of his grasp and turned her face from him in shame.

"I really should," his attempts to look her in the eyes again was futile and he sighed in defeat, "if we broke up after this then I fear we never were truly in love to begin with." Maybe he finally said something right because she finally turned towards him with surprise and doubt.

"I thought we were broken up?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I love you," then he noticed her looking at him odd, "what?"

"You're never this illogical," she pointed out, "what's going on?"

He groaned in frustration. He didn't need an exact answer this time, not when matters of the heart were at play, for love really _didn't_ make sense.

"Why do you not believe me?"

She didn't answer him, at least not right away as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt unsure of herself like she always was.

"Why are we so broken? I thought we'd be perfect together," he knew she was talking about everything wrong between them and when she finally turned to look at him with tearful eyes he could feel his heart ache at her final three shaky words, "but we're not."

They sat staring at each other and as a tear escaped her eye he leaned in, raising a hand to her face to brush it away. Today he would do it right and be there for her as she cried if that was what she needed. His eyes were locked on hers as he stroked her cheek with his thumb feeling his heartbeat race within his chest as he leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers.

Finally breaking apart from each other the words from one play ran through his head, "the course of true love never did run smooth."

* * *

**THE END! Ok, there are so many sequel options that could be done on this because quite a few things are left open, but I'm not doing it! XD Ugh! Or a prequel even could be done. The little side stories within this aren't answered because they weren't really the focus of the story. Which, BTW, this ending is so lovey dovey it makes ME sick and I'm a romance novel junky lol. But, I hope you enjoyed it. Apparently it has more readers than I thought, there's over 500 views already. I think my next highest story has just over 100.**

**Copyright Ross B and Janice K**

**The quote Simon says at the end is from "a midsummer nights dream"**

**~Sharky**


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